by Jacobs, Kyle
Gavin glanced at the change room door. There was a latch which he engaged. Locking Oliver in here with him, alone.
He regarded Oliver again. "Have you enjoyed your little vacation? I would have expected someplace tropical. Not this dump of a town."
As he spoke he never lost his grin. That grin, which had inflicted more suffering and fear than Oliver wanted to remember. And here he was, grinning at him again.
He was wearing clothes which were meant to not draw any attention to himself. A simple long sleeved flannel shirt, jeans, boots and a dark baseball cap which caused his dark hair to stick out at the sides. This was all intended to hide his myriad of tattoos, and to reduce the risk of being recognized as a Silver Hound.
Again, Oliver was hit with confusion. If Logan had sold him out, why the average joe getup? A side deal the Jesters were not suppose to know about?
"Not so talkative now, huh?" Gavin said. He walked toward him, slowly. Just like a predator enjoying the last terrified moments of its prey. "But I'm not here to argue with you honey. I'm here to take you home."
Despite his terror, shaking, and tears Oliver heard himself say, "No."
It was more of a whisper, than a firm statement.
Gavin's brow furrowed. He had used that expression many times before with him, whenever he was mocking him, or putting him down. "No? But, sweetheart. I came all this way for you. I love you, you know that, right? Why else would I be here?"
Oliver backed away from him until he was up against the wall and couldn't go any further.
This isn't happening, this can not be happening, his mind said over and over again.
Gavin stopped a few feet from him. He was in no hurry. Enjoying this. "Babe, I love you. Why else would I risk my neck... my very life to come here? You know what they would do to me if they knew who I was?"
Beat your ass, Oliver thought. But he couldn't verbalize it. It would only make Gavin angry. He was like a coiled snake. It wouldn't take much to make him strike.
"They would hurt me, sweetie," he said, and stepped within arms reach of Oliver. "They would hurt me because of you. Because I came here for you. Tell me that you understand."
Oliver found himself nodding a little, but he couldn't tell what he was nodding about. That Gavin would be hurt, or that he was there to take him away? Tears continued to blur his vision.
"How did you know? How could you have..." he started to say.
Gavin was watching him intently. Then finished his sentence for him. "How could I have found you?" He laughed. It was an easy going laugh. It sounded genuine. But for the life of him, Oliver could never remember a time when it never disguised a deep malice.
Gavin slowly reached forward, and clasped both Oliver's shoulders with his hands. His grip was gentle.
"Honey, I've connections everywhere," he said as if speaking to a child. "It's not like you being here has ever been a secret."
Through the fear that clouded his mind, Oliver felt doubt over his words. If he knew he was here the whole time, he would have come earlier to collect him. Of that Oliver was almost completely certain. Also, why would he have called his parents to try and trick them into revealing his location?
So many doubts. But there was two certainties he had to deal with right at that moment. Gavin was here, and there was no way on Earth this guy would leave without him. And the other was that Logan had betrayed him. It was the only logical thought he could come up with.
There was a knocking at the change room door. Someone tried the knob, but the latch held firm.
Gavin looked over at the door with naked concern, but quickly regained his cocky composure.
So, Oliver thought, he was worried. There was some small satisfaction he could take from that.
Gavin looked at him again, practically pinning him to the wall with the intensity of his eyes. "Well, you've really done it now. It looks like I'm not going to leave here without some serious problems. And all because of my love for you."
Oliver was past the point of terror, riveted in the spot. Unable to speak. Things were ratcheting up, and only getting worse.
And Gavin was right about one thing, as much as Oliver hated to even admit it. This was all because of him.
His so called love for him may be true, or it might just be a game to keep him under control. But Oliver didn't care which right now. He just knew he no longer had any friends here. He had no where else to go. No one to turn to.
No more Logan.
There came a harder bashing at the door. Someone was now kicking it.
Gavin looked almost resigned to his fate. As if this truly was how he expected things to end up when he came here.
"Remember honey," he said, turning to face the door which shook even harder. "When they hurt me, it's because I love you so much."
The door flew open.
Instantly, two, then three, then five very big men entered the room. The bouncers looked very similar to the the Macabre Jesters that employed them - enormous.
The head bouncer, the biggest one pointed a large finger at Gavin. "What the hell is going on in here?"
Gavin raised his hands. "We're just talking. That's all. We locked the door for privacy." He seemed to realize just how bad the situation was. "I'm not looking for any trouble."
The bouncers inched forward. Their expressions were of wild dogs moving in for a kill. Gavin was in for a serious beating, at the very least.
The head bouncer looked at Oliver. "You know this dick-head?"
Oliver knew that his answer would seal Gavin's fate. His mind flashed to Logan the night before, during a moment of their passionate love making. It had not been real. It had all been a game. He had been played.
Now he just needed to survive.
"No, it's okay," Oliver said. He stepped forward and took Gavin's hand who barely hid his surprise.
"He's my boyfriend."
Chapter 11
Logan
"This stuff here," said Logan. "This is all just a band aid over a much bigger wound."
Logan and Logan stood in another one of their secret warehouses. Logan looked over to where the Club President was indicating. A small mini van was being stuffed with video game consoles. They were not worth a lot on the black market but with the current state of the Club finances it was better than nothing.
Logan could only frown. "Where'd we get em?"
Logan watched as the last few boxes was loaded in and the sliding door shut. Blankets were thrown over the top. "Barely a tenth of what we lost with the other load."
Logan winced. Not good news, and it was only getting worse. Their previous client had completely bailed, and word had gotten out on the loss. The Club's reputation was in the crapper at the moment with little momentum to get it back up again to a point where heavy hitters would deal with them again.
Just like a damned corporation, Logan thought. Something goes wrong, its stock sinks. Only, when a company's stock drops there isn't the threat of stockholders shooting you and leaving you in a deep hole somewhere.
"Speaking of that," said Logan, "any updates?"
"Nothing solid," Logan said. "On the cops side, they aren't finding much. They've asked around and our people were prepped, so nothing goes even close to being Club related."
"Good," said Logan.
"All they have is the body of Silas, who, to them is just some random guy with no family. He was unemployed, according to federal records. His criminal record was also clean save for a couple of drunk and dis-orderlies back in the day."
"And who doesn't got them?" Logan mused. But he got serious again. "Okay, they can't link him or his activities to us. So what do we have on our end?"
"Less than the cops. Other than we don't think Silas was in on a double cross. Just doesn't add up. Solid dude. Or was. No, it had to be someone in the know of our operations. And given how shoddy things have been lately, it could be either external, or internal."
Logan grumbled, and ran a hand over his face. He looked weary. All this treac
hery, and potential treachery was getting to him. But this was par for the course of being the President of a Biker Club.
Logan looked at Logan and asked, "What do you think?"
Logan could only offer a shrug. "Me? It could be as simple as someone surveilling us for a while. Would be easy to do. Milo and Jonah had used that place a lot for quite a while. Anyone could have caught on to what was up and waited for an opportunity. And they got it."
"Someone with balls."
"Big ones," Logan agreed. If they ever found out who it was, it would be a death sentence for them. And if it was connected to another Biker Club. Well, then it would be war.
Just then a prospect named Nathan walked over. He nodded at Logan, who nodded back. Nathan was one of the good ones, Logan thought.
"All set," Nathan said.
"Cool," said Logan. "You're secondary?"
"Damn straight," the younger biker said. He patted his jacket where he kept a pistol.
"Okay, keep your eyes peeled, or they will be peeled for you," Logan said. He was trying to keep it light hearted but he meant it. If they were going to be hit again, Nathan would be in the thick of it.
Nathan nodded again and headed out.
"Good call on the secondary," Logan said. He watched as the minivan pulled away. Right behind it was a dark sedan driven by Nathan. He also had a Hang Around passenger who would also be armed. "I doubt anyone would try that again. Not for such low grade crap."
"They better not," Logan said. "Last thing we need right now is another headache. Speaking of, you get to play lead on a new connection. Set up by Jonah."
Logan perked up at this. "Yeah? Who?"
"Evil Masters are looking for product so they got a representative coming today. Name's Bob and he's pretty high ranking. You'll meet him at the auditions later."
This was good news. Not only for the Club to get financially solvent but for Logan, too, as he was being tapped to make it happen. This was a big deal all around.
Logan pointed at Logan, "Don't let anything screw this up. Okay?"
Logan was about to say something when they heard someone approach. They looked, half expecting a raid.
The large figure that walked toward them was Milo. He said to Logan, "Why the hell is he here?" He pointed at Logan.
"What?" Logan said. He bristled.
Logan raised a hand. "What do you mean? He's Jonah's proxy for this. You know that."
Milo looked incredulous. "No, he ain't. I didn't say he could be. Not on this."
"This ain't yours anymore," Logan said. "Management has taken over until things settle down. You already know this."
"You got your walking papers!" Logan said.
Milo lunged at Logan, who did the same. Logan inserted himself between the two men, pushing them back. Logan was larger than either of them, and as tough as nails. "Back off," he said. "Both of you."
Milo was well aware of how the Club handled things when something security wise had gone wrong. But that didn't stop him from grand standing. "Yeah, well I'm not gonna sit around and wait for another screw up." He looked at Logan. "I've got an angle. I'm gonna take it."
Logan considered this for a moment then nodded. "Okay, fine. Work it until it looks solid. When it does you come to me first with it. Understand?"
Logan was curious. Milo was basically telling Logan that he had a lead on a big client or a large supplier. Either one would be good for the Club. If it looked like it was close to being a handshake, then management, meaning Logan, would vet the deal and give it Club sanction.
Milo grinned, which wasn't the prettiest of sights to behold. "Things are going to get better. You watch." He then nodded at Logan, who nodded back. He turned and left without so much as a glance at Logan.
Once he was gone Logan said, "Well, that's a first."
"How do you mean?" Logan said. He had cooled down over Milo's insult.
"Jonah was always the guy to make things happen. Got a knack for it. But this guy," Logan nodded in the direction Milo left. "He's pure dead weight. Always has been."
Logan was aware of Milo's low stock within the Club. Apparently, Milo was aware, too, and was trying to change that.
Which would not be a good thing for me, Logan thought.
"Enough of that," Logan said. "Go get ready. You got a meet to get to."
As Logan drove to his apartment he felt stoked. This was a great chance for him. Being tapped to win a client over was not a small matter within the Club and he was going to do everything he could make it happen.
He felt like sharing this good news with Oliver. The thought stunned him a little. He wasn't the type to share anything with anyone, particularly a potential boyfriend.
Where did that come from? He thought. But it felt right. He considered swinging by Oliver's motel room, see what he was up to. The thought of just holding him for a while had a really strong appeal at that moment.
He checked the time. Nope, he thought. Not enough of it. He would see Oliver later anyway at the audition.
Logan found himself smiling all the way home.
Later, he met up with Bob at Hot Rocks. The Evil Master was not blessed with anything that could be described as good looks, but that meant nothing to Logan. It was the Biker's wallet that Logan was interested in.
"Yeah, we may be interested," Bob said, as the two of them sat at a table, overlooking the auditions in progress. Logan expected this level of non-committal. It was all part of the negotiations. "What sort of stock can you get your hands on?"
How about some crappy video games? Logan thought, but kept that to himself.
"Whatever you need," Logan said. "Won't be an issue. We got fingers in all sorts of pies."
Bob sipped his beer, eyeing the stripper on the stage. The music was loud and full of base. He kept a good poker face, Logan would give him that.
Suddenly, Logan saw Oliver saunter by. He was wearing the damned sexist little secretary outfit he had ever seen. Logan had to do a double take.
"That's a pretty big claim. I know your club's rep. Real solid," the Evil Master said.
Oliver looked over at Logan and smiled. Logan smiled back.
"But what's this about a missed shipment from a few days ago?" Bob said.
Logan now gave the Evil Master his full attention. Ah, crap, he thought. Then said, "It was a one off. A rogue element. Nothing to worry about anymore."
Bob looked at him quizzically, "It's been taken care of?"
Logan nodded emphatically. "No longer an issue." He hoped it wasn't but Bob didn't need to know any details, just that deliveries would be protected.
Bob nodded. "The Macabre Jesters are not afraid to take care of business?"
Normally such a question would be considered an insult. But given the circumstances Logan could understand. This guy represented a lot of potential money for the Club. He let it slide.
"We take care of business. No problems. The trash needs to be taken out? We take it out." Logan had his business face on, which could scare a lot of people.
The other Biker nodded, then smiled. "Okay, then. Let's do a trial run and see what happens. If all is good, maybe we can talk long term."
Logan was elated, but kept his face straight. "Sounds good." Both men shook hands. It was only then that he noticed Oliver was now on the stage, dancing up a storm.
Both men watched him, transfixed. His moves, his flesh, his everything was incredible to watch.
"Damn," Bob said. "That's hot."
Logan felt a flare of jealousy grow inside him. He quickly tempered it down do a dull heat.
Jesus. I just about lost my temper with a client. Over a boy toy?
He looked at Oliver, who at that moment finished his dance routine. He was one hell of a boy toy. Logan just had to keep his feelings in check at the moment.
The crowd had gone wild at Oliver's dance. He was standing on the stage, very still, obviously basking in the glory.
You earned it, Logan thought.
Log
an was about to excuse himself and go congratulate him on such a great dance but Bob leaned over.
"Okay, maybe we can start talking terms now," Bob said.
Logan was all ears. Usually this came later. But obviously the Bob guy was feeling comfortable. Whether it was the beer, or Oliver's dancing, Logan didn't care.
They talked for a few minutes, ironing out details. The Evil Masters wanted to pay as little as possible, The Macabre Jesters wanted them to pay as much as possible. Typical negotiations for this sort of transaction.